ESD Symposium in KOBE: Profiles
Muhammad Yunus
Professor Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is an economist and managing director of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He completed his BA and MA at Dhaka University in 1960 and 1961 respectively. He was offered a Fulbright scholarship in 1965 to study in the United States, and obtained his PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University in 1969. From 1969 to 1972, he was an assistant professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University. After the Liberation War of Bangladesh, he returned to his home country and joined Chittagong University as head of the Economics Department in 1972. He is famous for his successful application of microcredit — the extension of small loans. The Grameen (which means “rural” in Bengali) Bank Project began in the village of Jobra in 1976, and in 1983 the pilot project began operations as a full-fledged bank to make loans to poor Bangladeshis. In 2006, Yunus and the bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, ‘for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.’
Shiro Abe (阿部 志郎)
Professor Abe is a top leader of social work organizers in Japan. He graduated from Tokyo College of Commerce (Today's Hitotsubashi University) in 1949, and then studied at Union Theological Seminary in the United States. After holding an associate professorship at Meiji-gakuin University, he became a director of Yokosuka Kirisuto-kyo Shakaikan, a social welfare corporation in Yokosuka City since 1957 (President since 2007). He also held prominent positions such as Head Director of Meiji-gakuin, Head Director of Tokyo Women's University, Chairman of National Exam Committee of Certified Social Workers, and President of Kanagawa University of Human Services (currently Honorary President).
Kayoko Uenoya (上野谷 加代子)
Kayoko Uenoya is a professor at Department of Social Welfare in Doshisha University. She is currently the President of Japan Academic Association of Socio-education & Service Learning, and the Chairperson of National Center for the Promotion of Volunteer Activities, Japan National Council of Social Welfare.
Updated: 2009/01/30 (Fri) 16:03